Brooder Hellllllppppppppp

[ms.cluckling]

does anyone have any brooder making tips??!! the chicks hatch in 5 days, and I'm running out of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[herefordlovinglady]

do a search for brooders.

but what do you have available?

as long as you have four walls, heat lamp, food and water you should be set.

 

[SilverPhoenix]

My favorite method of making a brooder is this:

Buy a large plastic storage tub. Either cut a large square out of the top and replace the plastic with hardware cloth, or just take the top off entirely and replace it with hardware cloth.

Put a heating pad that does NOT auto-turn off in the bottom of the tub, on one side only. Low is usually warm enough, but put it on Medium if Low is too cold. Cover it with paper towels and coat the floor of the storage tub with paper towels. Put a chick waterer and feeder in there too. Personally, I like to add a little upside-down box with a door cut in it on top of the area where the heating pad is for the chicks to sleep in or go in if they're cold.

Voila! Cheap, easy brooder. I've done this tons of times and it works great.

I recommend this for indoor use only, though--outdoors would require something more durable, predator-proof, etc.

 

[ms.cluckling]

wow, thanks!
i have all of those--who woodathunkit??
I'm planning to keep them in the bator for the first few days, since there's some room left...
What do you think?

 

[herefordlovinglady]

after the brooder where do you plan to put the chicks. mine lasted about 2 weeks in a water trough turned to brooder and then I had a huge cage ready for them and then lastly the coop.

 

[herefordlovinglady]

oh and here is the perfect thread for you to find the perfect brooder....


https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=6233

 

[ms.cluckling]

...
i didn't know you needed two...
cant they just go straight from brooder to coop??

 

[Fred's Hens]

I use a four sided, boxed utility trailer, in the barn or shop. Sure my trailer is out of commission for a month, but that's OK. It is 5' by 8' trailer, so there is room to grow. I use a couple red bulbed 250Watt fixtures. 12" high on one, and 16" high on the other. They migrate back and forth depending on their need for warmth. Chick sized feeder and chick appropriate waterer. Day 1 right through 6 weeks. After that, they head to the barn, to my juvenile pen. There, they get another 2 weeks of heat lamp, although, it is now raised considerably. They likely don't even need it. They don't spend anytime under it, since they are feathered out at that point.

 

[Highlander]

I use an old baby travel cot/playpen as my brooder. Works great and is a good size. Good luck.

 

[BooBear]

Hello,

And congrats toward your future hatch!
Brooder recipe:
need a pen that has solid walls at the minimum of 12 inches high and enough room for the chicks to run around in.
need a heat source for warmth for the chicks to warm up at. Most folks use a brooder lamp which is a shiny metal lamp with a big red bulb 250watts. (depending on your setup you could also use smaller bulbs. Bulb size varies depending on the surrounding environment. See Brooder temperature ranges)
need bedding: most folks recommend paper towels over the pine shavings or just paper towels for atleast the first week. Pine shavings work really well for bedding.

-> -> -> Never Never Never use cedar shavings of any kind with chicks as this will kill them! <- <- <-

need a chick size water with rocks or marbles to put in it. (this helps keep them from drowning) Note: another person posted that a quail size water for baby quail works really well without having to add rocks or marbles in it.
need a chick size food dish.
feed: Chick start. You can get this either medicated for coccis or un medicated. I used the medicated as this parasite is prevalent in our area.

Brooder temperature ranges:
Recommended for the first week to be at 95 degrees. (watch the chicks as this does vary some depending on how they react to the temps. If they pile up under the heat source it is too cold. If they scatter around the edges and are panting it is too hot. If they are equally dispersed and making happy pur chirp sounds then the temp is just right)
Each week lower by 5 degrees until temp is same as room or surrounding temps.

Hope this helps and you get to enjoy healthy happy chickies.